Jumyou wo Kaitotte Moratta. Ichinen ni Tsuki, Ichimanen de.
I sold my life for ten thousand yen per year.

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

This story tackles ideas like how willing young people are to write off the rest of their lives, the harsh reality that comes with attempting to chase after the path as the rose-tinted glasses come off, and what it really means to live life to the fullest. It has an interesting premise and is very short, only three volumes which you could read in under two hours, so it's worth checking out if it sounds interesting. Even in the worst case scenario it'll amount to less than two hours of time wasted.

Overall I'd definitely say that I liked the story, and was able to relate ... to the feeling of looking back on people you used to know in grade school only to realize that maybe they aren't the amazing, idealic people you thought them to be. Kusunoki's arc is a good portrayal of a character who starts quite flawed and betters himself over the course of the story, though the short length helped with that a bit. Not that he was really that bad considering that plenty of people in his situation would be willing to do much worse things, and with the worst thing he considers doing he stops himself after thinking it over.

That being said, one of the main things that stopped this story from being an 8 or higher was how predictable almost every twist and turn was. It can get tedious reading through something being treated as a shocking development when it was so clearly telegraphed chapters prior. The ending was also disappointing considering the way that it seems to glorify Kusunoki's decisions, with a literal, "and then everyone clapped," moment. Considering that the final choices made are antithetical to the message the rest of the story was trying to get across, it comes across as a tacked on ending for the sake of having a happy ending regardless of how it ties into the rest of the narrative.

When it comes to the art it was certainly good, but nothing that felt worthy of stopping and admiring. There weren't any moments of turning to a new page only to suddenly be greeted by an amazing spread or panel that hits hard and leaves a lasting impact. This is likely due to the fact that this is an adaptation of a novel, and as such the artist isn't as emotionally attached to the work as would be the case in an original manga.

7/10, a fairly good, quick read, but I don't know if I'll ever actively recommend this to another person. That being said, if you're curious enough to be reading reviews then you might as well give it a shot considering it's only sixteen chapters long.

A spoiler-free review, don't worry.

This could be a hit-or-miss for certain readers and honestly I didn't have high expectation of this manga when I read the first chapter.

Well, what do you expect if the synopsis itself tells you that this MC has sold his lifespan for a few bucks and waiting for his life to end?

I expected it to be a downer piece but as I went along the chapters, I had this sense of dread reading it, knowing that the end will surely come.

Oh boy, it was a ride - feeling of dread, disgust, hope, love, warmth, happiness, hate, et cetera...all of them wrapped ... in an unassuming manga, with a lengthy title.

Art-wise, it's a simple one.

As for the story, it managed to turn me from "meh" at 1st chapter, then it built up the story until the end - it managed to make me to cry my hearts out.

Kudos to the author who kept me engrossed from start till the finish in one sitting.

Once again, some might love this, some might not. Give it a try.

PT - BR

O autor quis passar uma mensagem com um manga e não fazer uma manga com uma mensagem, gerando uma história que não tem importância ou lógica. Entretanto com o tempo as coisas se invertem, a mensagem perde importância enquanto a história ganha destaque fazendo uma bagunça completa. Nisso tudo ainda existe uma necessidade ensandecida de gerar identificação com o leitor, que na prática estabelece uma conexão apenas com os imaginários de uma adolescência frustrada. Em resumo, essa tentativa de gerar identificação com uma história totalmente artificial para um tema tão vago é bem deprimente e digno de pena.

EN - US (from Google ... Translator)

The author wanted to convey a message with a manga and not make a manga with a message, generating a story that has no importance or logic. Over time, however, things are reversed: the message loses importance while the story gains prominence, making a complete mess of things. In all this, there is still a desperate need to generate identification with the reader, who in practice establishes a connection only with the imaginings of a frustrated adolescence. In short, this attempt to generate identification with a totally artificial story for such a vague theme is quite depressing and worthy of pity.